An attorney at law, also known attorney or lawyer, is a person in the US licensed to practice law by the highest court of a state or other jurisdiction. .
The US legal system does not distinguish by name between lawyers that plead in court and those that do not. In other countries an Attorney may be known as a solicitor or advocate as in England or a advocate/civil law notary in France.
Frequently US attorneys chose to specialize in just one field of law. Here are some examples of different specialties you may find when searching for an attorney.
- Litigators (are those you find in court in law suits) v. transactional (someone with an office practice) attorneys (they typically draft documents and give legal advice to clients, rarely stepping foot in a court room)
- Lawyers that are in private practice and smaller firms (cannot afford to litigate every little issue) v. big firms (who have more resources and are capable of doing more).
- Plaintiffs' attorneys (those attorneys and small firms who are willing to represent individuals on contingent fee agreements meaning you pay if they win for you) v. defendants' attorneys (big firms that work for and bill large corporations by the hour).
- Trial attorneys (who argue the facts, and go to court) v. appellate attorneys (who argue the law).
- Outside counsel (law firms which work for the firm on an hourly basis as needed) v. in-house counsel (where you have a corporate legal department).
It may be a bit intimidating for someone to find a lawyer when they need one. There are many that advertise their services, but do you trust the hype? Then there is the reputation that accompanies the profession. It is very important to see beyond the hype and reputation and find the best lawyer you can afford. Here are some simple steps to help you with this process.
- Find a lawyer that specializes in your field. This is important to do because you want someone that is up to date in your specific area. Someone that has followed recent court cases and knows all aspects of the law where your case is concerned. You don’t want to be in court with a divorce lawyer if you are fighting for a copyright.
- First off ask those you trust that may have used a lawyer if they have any recommendations. If you don’t find one this way you can always call the local Bar Association for recommendations on someone.
- Once you find a few names to consider, check them out. Find out everything you can about them. Check out their court experience, or their record in cases similar to yours. This will not tell you if they can win your case or not, but it will certainly give you a feel for their experience and what they are capable of doing.
- Consider carefully how well the lawyer will be dedicated to your case. This can be a big frustration once you choose an Attorney if you then feel ignored. You can begin to judge this by what he or she tells you and by how you feel about him when you meet with him. Will they meet the deadlines? Do they return your calls? Can you trust them to be on time for appointments? Ask them how many hours that they will be devoted to your case. Ask them about their current case load. You need to make sure and feel confident that they are dedicated to your personal needs.
- Perform a personal interview with the lawyer. Ask them all the questions that we talked about. Be very specific with your questions. You need to get a feel for this lawyer. Ask them questions about how they would handle the case. A lawyer with experience should be able to tell you step by step how to proceed and what he will do to help you.
- Next consider their retainer fees. Let's face it. We can not all have the best lawyers out there. While it would be great to afford the best it may not be realistic. So you may simply have to do the best you can. But even still the most important part is to consider the lawyer’s record and how you feel he can do the job with the amount of money you have to spend.
- Lastly, trust is of major importance when hiring a lawyer. Trusting your lawyer will help you to relax and help to relieve some of the stress that you are feeling with the situation to begin with. Many people may not give this aspect a lot of weight, but it is important that you feel comfortable to not only tell your story but also to express your frustration.
These are just some basic guidelines that if followed can make your time with a lawyer more enjoyable and hopefully profitable.
